Seahawks place Kam Chancellor on injured reserve — officially ending his season

Kam Chancellor #31 of the Seattle Seahawks reacts following a game against the New England Patriots during a game at Gillette Stadium on November 13, 2016 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Seahawks place Kam Chancellor on injured reserve — officially ending his season

Kam Chancellor #31 of the Seattle Seahawks reacts following a game against the New England Patriots during a game at Gillette Stadium on November 13, 2016 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

RENTON, Wash. — Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor will officially not play for the team this season.

The Seahawks made the announcement as training camp got underway Thursday, writing “Kam Chancellor, the safety who helped set the tone for one of the best defenses in NFL history, will not be able to play for the Seahawks in 2018.”

Chancellor was officially placed on the injured reserve/physically unable to perform list.

The designation ends his season and means he will not count toward the Seahawks’ 90-man roster during training camp.

“I admire the heck out of this guy,” Carroll told Seahawks.com. “This is a great kid, he’s a great leader, he’s a tough guy, he’s a heart-and-soul guy. He’s a fifth-round draft pick who broke all the way through from that to become a great football player and leader in our program.”

Chancellor appeared to announce his retirement on Twitter earlier this month:

“I’ve played through all types of bruises and injuries at a high level. But this one, I just can’t ignore,” Chancellor said in a tweet.

Chancellor had been awaiting further clarity on his neck, which he injured in a game against the Arizona Cardinals in November. In a posting on his Twitter account Sunday night, Chancellor said his latest scans “showed no healing.”

“To walk away from the game by choice is one thing, to walk away from the game because of the risk of paralysis is another,” Chancellor wrote.

Chancellor never used the word “retirement” in his statement, which may have been deliberate. Chancellor signed an extension through the 2020 season last August which contained guaranteed money in case of injury. An official retirement could open up the possibility of forfeiting some of that money.

Chancellor was named to four Pro Bowl teams (2011, 2013-15) and was twice a second-team All-Pro selection (2013, 2014). He appeared in 109 career games for Seattle with 93 starts after being selected in the fifth-round of the 2010 NFL draft.